Photographic developing apparatus



March 3, 1931. s. H. WALDRQN I PHOTOGHAPHIC DEVELOPING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 15. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l R Y O E 2 1 M W wa E o I y "H an x A 4 \T 2 1M. 4 w 4. /U

I I l 0 $0 a 1 1 AL 9 .ww z A 0 l 1 A" 3 0 M M March 3, 1931. e. H. WALDRON PHOTOGRAPHIC DEVEDDPING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 15. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 86. 4am

ATTORNEY stated 3, 1331 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. WALDRON, OF TORBINGTON, JONNECTIGUT PHOTOGRAPHIG DEVELOPING APPARATUS Application filed February 15, 1930. Serial No. 428,754.

This invention relates to photographic apparatus, and more particularly to an automatic daylight apparatus for developing and fixing dental X-rayfilms.

One object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the above nature comprising a light-proof cabinet having a ruby-colored window permitting the operator to manipulate the films within the cabinet.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of the above nature in which all of the operations of developing, fixing, and washing the film are performed automatically by mechanism driven by an electric motor.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of the above nature provided with a film holder adapted to be intermittently lowered into and raised from the developing, fixing and washing baths by a power-driven cam and lever mechanism.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of the above nature which will be relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate, compact, and very efiicient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawings one form in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

30 Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the apparatus on an enlarged scale, the section being taken just below the partition separating the upper and lower compartments.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on a still further enlarged scale of the handle and spring mechanism located at the top of the casing.

Fig. 7 is a side view on an enlarged scale of the roller mechanism located at the top of the film-holding rod.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 indicates a cabinet preferably constructed of metal and comprising an upper compartment 11 and a lower compartment 12. The upper compartment 11 contains a plurality of tanks 13, 14:, 15, and 16, while the lower compartment 12 houses a driving mechanism comprising an electric motor 17 supported in a raised position above the bottom of the cabinet 10 by a platform 18, said motor being controlled by a suitable switch, not shown. The motor 17 is direct-connected by a shaft 18 B0 to a reducing gear 19 from which extends a sprocket wheel 20 connected by a chain 21 with a second sprocket wheel 22 extending from a second reducing gear 23.

Located in front of the reducing gear 23 13.5 is a vertical plate cam 24 mounted on a shaft 25. The cam 24 has an elongated projection 26 and a short tooth 27 formed on its periphery. Theprojection 26 and tooth 27, are herein shown integral with the cam 24, but it will be understood that said parts may be adjustably mounted on said cam if desired."

Pivotally mounted on the cam shaft 25 is an arm 28 adjustably connected to said cam 24 by means of a knurled nut 28a on a screw 7 29 threaded in a split lug 30 on said cam 24 and adapted to be held in adjusted positionby friction. The outer end of the arm 28 is provided with a pair of spaced teeth 30 and 31 for a purpose to be hereinafter specified. The reducing gears 19 and 23 are preferably so arranged that the cam 24 will be driven one revolution in twenty minutes. The edgev of the cam 24 may be graduated with a suitable scale 24a to facilitate the adjustment of the arm 28. I

In order to support a number of X-ray films 32 for simultaneous development, provision is made of a plurality of clips 33, eight in number in this instance, said clips being mounted onthe vertical depending section 34 of an angular film-holding rod 35. As shown in Fig. '7, the rod 35 is connected at its inner end to a tubular plug 35a having a circular lower shoulder 35b resting upon the top of a vertically reciprocating tubular shaft. 36, and said rod 35 has a roller 37 intermediate its ends for fitting within a sinuous cam slot 38 formed in a stationary vertical sleeve member 39 extending upwardly from the top of a partition 40 separating the upper and lower compartments 11 and 12. The top of the sleeve member 39 is connected to a In order to provide a rotational force for the film holding arm 35, provision is made of a coiled spring 44 having its upper end connected to a radial manipulating arm 45, having a handle 46 on its extremity. The arm is adapted to be used for winding the spring 44 which has its lower end connected to the shaft 42. The arm 45 is detachably locked to prevent unwinding of'the spring 44 by a depending flat spring 47 adapted to engage against a shoulder 48 in a circular cam flange 49 on the top of the cover 41.

- The. tubular shaft 36 is adapted to be raised and lowered automatically by a lever 50 pivoted at one end in a bracket 51 and actuated by a driving lever-52 receiving power from the motor-actuated cam 24. The driving lever 52 is pivoted on a bracket 53 intermediate its ends and has an upwardly-extending tooth 54 on its lower end for engagement with the projections on the cam 24. The upper end of the lever 52 is provided with a roller 55 for engagement with the lever 50 at a point adjacent its fulcrum. The free end section 56 of the lever 50 is adapted to engage a roller 57 on the bottom of the shaft 36 and to slide up and down in a slot 56a of a sleeve 58 extending down through the partition 40.

In order to illuminate the interior of the cabinet 10 provision is made of a ruby lamp 59 adapted to be operated by a suitable switch, not shown, and the operator is permitted to see into the interior of the cabinet 10 through a ruby colored opening 60. Provision is also made of means for permitting the operator to place his hands and arms within the interior of the upper compartment 11, said means comprising a pair of rubber sleeves 61 and 62, closed at their outer ends and secured to a rectangular frame 63 located at the front of the cabinet 10.

A suitable clock or other timepiece 64 may also be provided on the cover 39 to assist in timing the developing and fixing of negatives when the motor-driven mechanism is not being used. The clock 64 may also be used to enable the operator to check up on the adj ustment of the arm 28. Doors 65 and 65a hinged at 66 and 66a to the upper and lower compartments, 11 and 12 provide access to the interior of the apparatus. Suitable pipes, not

shown, for the circulation of washing water may be connected to the'apparatus at any desired points.

' i Operation In operation, when it is desired to finish a number of exposed X-ray negatives 32, the door 65 of the cabinet 10 will be opened, and thefilms placed on a shelf 67 located at the top of the tanks 13, 14, 15 and 16. The door 65 will then be closed and the operator will insert his hands through the sleeves 61 and 62 to remove the light-proof paper and insert the undeveloped films 32 in the clips 33. The spring44 will be wound up by rotating the handle 45 in a counter-clockwise direction. The films 32 will at this time be located immediately above the developing tank 13. The motor switch will now be turned on, caus ing the cam 25 to be slowly rotated and the tooth 54 of the lever 52 will be at this time engaged by the elongated raised projection 26 of the cam 24. The roller 55 on the other end of the lever 52 will hold the lever 50 in its uppermost position with the upper end of 7 said lever 50 engaging the roller 57 for maintaining the shaft 36 in its uppermost position, as shown in Fig. 5.

As the motor operates, the tooth 54 on the lever 52 will soon reach the end of the projection 26 and will ride upwardly olf of the shoulder 26a and come into engagement with the low part 26?) of the cam 24. This will permit the levers 52 and 50 to drop and cause the films 32 to be immersed in'the liquid in the developing tank 13 where they will remain until 'the development is complete.

The tooth 31 on the adjustable arm 28 of the cam 24 will then strike the tooth 54 on the lever 52, raising the levers 52 and 50 and lifting the developed X-ray films 32 upwardly again to the position shown in Fig. 5. When the roller 37 on the film-holding rod 35 reaches the top of the cam slot 38, the spring 44 will come into action, rotating said roller 37 along the horizontal section of said cam slot 38 until the films 32 are located above and in alinement with the next succeeding tank 14, which contains rinsing water. In a short time (usually about 12 seconds) the tooth 54 will rise again to the low portion of the cam 24 and cause the films 3 2 to dip into the tank 14 where they will remain for the desired timeusually about 27 seconds. The tooth 30 will then engage the tooth 54, causing the films 32 to be lifted out of the tank 14 and rotated through the next horizontal portion of the cam slot 38 by the spring 44. They will then be lowered into the fixing tank 15 where they will remain for the desired time, usually about five minutes, or until the hypo has completely dissolved the unexposed silver salts from the films.

After the fixing operation, the tooth 27 of the cam 24 will engage the tooth 54, causing the films 32 to be lifted from the tank 15 and transferred to the washing tank '16,

where the will remain for the desired period,

usually a out five minutes. The films will then be raised and rotated to the starting position, at which time the motor 17 will be automatically shut 011' by a suitable switch, not shown. If desired, the four symbols D, W-l, H, and l/V2 may be marked at the top of the four sides of the square rod 42 to visibly indicate the condition of the apparatus.

The relative periods for developing and fixing may be adjusted in advance by manually rotating the knurled nut 28a for moving the arm 28 to any desired position.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not tobe limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In an apparatus for automatically finishing photographic negatives, a casing, a

plurality of tanks containing developing, fixing, and washing solutions, a negative hold- 35 ing rod slidably and rotatively mounted in said casing, a lever for intermittently raising and lowerin said rod, a roller on said rod, a

cam track or guiding said roller up and down into the various tanks, and a camoperated lever for operatively engaging said rod-engaging lever.

2. In an apparatus for automatically finishing photographic negatives, a casing, a plurality of tanks containing developing, fix- 5 ing and washing solutions, a negative holding rod slidably and rotatively mounted in said casing, said rod having a depending section in alinement with said tanks and carrying a plurality of negative holding cli s, means for so supporting said rod, a lever for 1ntermittently raising and lowering said supporting means, a roller on said rod, a cam track for guiding said roller up and down into the various tanks, anda cam-operated lever for SI opcratively engaging said rod-engaging lever.

3. In an ap aratus for automatically developing and xing photographic negatives, a casing having an upper and lower compartment, a plurality of tanks in said upper compartment containing developing, fixmg and washing solutions, a negative holdin rod slidably and rotatably mounted in sai upper compartment, power-driven cam-operel ated mechanism in said lower compartment for raising and lowering said rod, and spring means at the top of said rod independent of said mechanism to move said rod laterally for transferring said negative from tank to tank means to move said rod laterally for transferring said negative from tank to tank in succession, a guiding cam track in said upper compartment, and a roller on said rod adapted to ride in said cam track.

5. In an apparatus for automatically developing and fixing photographic negatives, a light-proof cabinet, a vertical shaft slidably mounted in the center of said cabinet, a negative holding rod extending laterally from said shaft, a lever pivoted at its lower end to said cabinet and having its free upper end engaging the lower end of said shaft, a cam-operated lever pivoted intermediate its ends to said cabinet, one end of said camoperated lever having a roller engaging said first lever.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature to this specification.

GEORGE H. WALDRON. 

